Wales, Britain and Ireland Lions cricket legend Jamie Roberts talks to Sky Sports Sydney about the strangeness of the Lions and his worries about touring ahead of the final Test of 2025; watch Australia v Lions on Saturday from 9.30am (11am kick-off) live on Sky Sports. Lions.
Pictured: Jamie Roberts shares his thoughts on the rise and fall of the British and Irish Lions and the uniqueness of the sport.
Jamie Roberts was a star for the British and Irish Lions in South Africa in 2009, despite having only one year of Test rugby experience. In 2013, an injury scuppered his chances of winning the Lions series, but he bounced back like Lazarus.
Sitting in a hotel coffee shop, away from the drizzle of Sydney, he reflects on his own experience with the Lions as the 2025 vintage comes to an end.
His answer is quite expressive.
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“Playing for the Lions changed my life,” Roberts told Sky Sports. “It symbolises everything that’s great about rugby and there’s nothing else in world sport that can compare to that.”
“There is nothing like this in sports.
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Highlights from the second Test between Australia and the British and Irish Lions in Melbourne.
“It's just an amazing brotherhood. In terms of my career, it's the greatest thing I've ever done.
“Of course I care about winning and losing, but the fact that I traveled with the game and used it as a passport to discover the world is the best thing.”
“There aren't many other growth opportunities in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. It's unique.
“It's as professional as ever, but that bit of amateurism that the Lions have is a gem for me. They bring people together better than any other rugby organisation, and they connect history better than anything else.”
“As a player, you are very aware of the team's past, the legacy of these players and the responsibility for the result.”
Pictured: Roberts is an ambassador for Howden, the Lions' current sponsor.
Roberts ended his rugby career in Australia in 2022, spending one season with the Waratahs in Super Rugby and living in Manly, where his wife is from. “It’s my second home now,” he says.
Previously, by his own admission, he had not even dreamed of a career: in 2008, 2012 and 2013, he won the Six Nations Cup (the first two were Grand Slam tournaments), and in 2011 he also took part in the semi-finals of the Rugby World Cup. From 2008 to 2017, he played 94 test matches for the Wales national team.
But it was the summers of 2009 and 2013 that were particularly memorable – the weeks and months when Roberts represented the Lions in South Africa and then Australia.
“I have experienced every emotion possible during my career with the Lions”
At 22, Roberts was feeling unsure and nervous when Sir Ian McGeechan selected him for the team in 2009 and he and Brian O'Driscoll formed a formidable midfield partnership.
Sourse: skysports.com
